I recently developed these unbelievably itchy, slightly raised, red bumps on different parts of my body. They seem to appear mainly around the hard-jointed parts (not the folds) of my knees, elbows, wrists, knuckles and feet. Sometimes they appear on my buttocks, also near a hard joint.
This is the second time I experience this. The first time was several years ago and it went away within about 2 or 3 days. This time it seems to be more persistent. It has been a week and they are still recurring.
Antihistamines (Benadryl) make them go away for a few hours. Heat/humidity seem to intensify the itching, although I don't believe that is the cause. Scratching also intensefies the itching and brings on a burning sensation.
The bumps gradually appear in clusters of 3 to 7 per joint, but don't always affect every joint every time it recurs.
They are definitely not blister-like. They look more like mosquito bites.
They don't hurt unless I scratch them... a lot. And they don't get dry or crusty/scaly.
I haven't made any changes to my diet lately. I did change the laundry detergent I use, but that was several weeks before the onset of this rash.
Could it be that I developed a food allergy?
I understand that some people who have gluten allergies can develop a condition called Dermatitis Herpetiformis which is a type of rash that affects the same hard-jointed areas of the body. But these are actually blisters that break open when scratched and crust over with time. So I have ruled out that possibility.
The only other symptom I have right now is a dry cough that developed shortly after the rash. But that could be a side effect of taking antihistamines or it could just be a coincidence.
Can anyone shed some light on the possible cause(s) of this rash?
Any help will be greatly appreciated.